Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image retrieving apparatus and method which retrieve a desired image from among a large number of images.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, since various digital cameras have been popularized and the capacity of the storage to be used for the digital camera has been enlarged, it has become possible to photograph and store a large number of images. On another front, since it is seriously troublesome for a user to retrieve and find a desired image from among the large number of stored images, it has been demanded to develop a retrieving technique which enables the user to easily find the desired image. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-296165 discloses the technique of classifying images for each photographing hour and showing the classified images to a user. Since the photographing hour is helpful for the user when he/she remembers how the photographing was performed, the user can find the desired image with comparative ease.
Besides, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-25876 discloses the technique of calculating importance for each category set based on the photographing hours, the photographing locations and the like, and showing the image of the high-importance category. Namely, by using this technique in which the importance is set from the category in which not only the photographing hours but also the locations are considered, a user can find a desired image more easily.
Besides, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-87005 discloses the technique of automatically showing an image including a specific object by using image recognition technique. When a user wishes to retrieve the image including the specific object, the user can drastically reduce the troublesomeness necessary to select the desired image by using this technique, thereby achieving high convenience.
However, in such a method as described above, when the user wishes to retrieve the image including the specific object for each category, there is a case where oversight occurs in the retrieval result due to image misrecognition, a kind of recognition setting, or the like. In particular, when the category of which the importance is high for the user is retrieved, if the number of images in the relevant category is zero or small due to such oversight in the retrieval, thereby deteriorating convenience. On another front, if the image recognition technique capable of reducing oversight is used or the image recognition setting (typically, a threshold of recognition) in the recognition technique is adjusted to reduce oversight, since the number of images shown in the retrieval result is too large, the troublesomeness necessary for the user to select the desired image increases, thereby deteriorating convenience.